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School Programs Available
Fall Fun or I Spy Spring Depending on the season, these two programs include the reading of a short story and five stations of hands-on activities, followed by an outdoor scavenger hunt. Cost: $5.00/student Recommended for grades Pre-K, K and One Going Buggy We will discover the world of insects. The program will start with a fun interactive talk and slides. Then we will collect and release insects outdoors. Adults will record the children's descriptive details of the insects they find and ID the insects into categories. Cost: $5.00/student This program can be adapted for Pre-K through third grade. First Thanksgiving (New!!) Each student will make their own small container of butter. Students will then taste their creation as well as sample other foods from the 1700's. Children can play a variety of games from past eras. Cost: $5.00/student Program available only in the month of November Recommended for grades Pre-K and K Water World Water, Water everywhere. Is it a solid, liquid or gas? Follow the path of a drop of water from lake to cloud to rain. Learn the terms involved in the cycle of water in a fun demonstration. Take a walk on the preserve looking for examples of the water cycle. Cost: $5.00/student This program can be adapted to first grade through sixth grade. Animal Adaptations This hands-on program will help students learn about the adaptations of mammals. Examine skulls and pelts of mammals and learn who is a herbivore or carnivore. Our outdoor exploration will include playing a survival game and predator/prey in the prairie and a nature walk. Cost: $5.00/student This program can be adapted to first grade through sixth grade. Salamanders, Turtles and Frogs, Oh My! Encounter the world of native Illinois reptiles and amphibians. Where do they live? What do they eat? Observe, touch and learn some of the characteristics of these unique creatures. Cost: $5.00/student This program can be adapted to first grade through sixth grade. Discover the Gardens (New!!) Explore the prairie and other areas and gardens on the preserve. While on a scavenger hunt, students will find simple and compound leaves, lichens and mosses, conifers, tall grasses, herbs, flowers and vegetables. Cost: $5.00/student Recommended for first, second and third grades. Corn (New!!) Students will focus on Illinois' #1 grass: corn. Inspect leaves, tassels and silk, remove dried kernels from the cob, grind corn and taste several corn products. Cost: $5.00/student This program can be adapted to first grade through sixth grade. Who's Whoo? A naturalist will lead an interactive discussion of the adaptations of the owl. We will also view slides and listen to owl calls. Each student will dissect an owl pellet. To further understand the food chain, we will play a predator/prey game in our prairie. Cost: $5.00/student Recommended for third grade through sixth grade. Winging It (New!!) Students will discover the unique attributes of birds through hands-on investigations. Each student will dissect an egg, learning the function and purpose of each part. Students will also participate in the migration game (outdoors, weather permitting), inspect bird nests, feathers, match tools to beaks, and learn to ID the common birds of the area. Cost: $5.00/student This program can be adapted to second grade through sixth grade. Journey and Journal Students will explore, sketch and record data while they forage through a forest floor, follow a path over the waterfall, journey off-trail through the prairie, visit the Heritage Garden (where vegetables are grown pioneer and Native American style), and discover a ravine. Cost: $5.00/student Recommended for fourth, fifth and sixth grades. Tree-mendous Trees (New!!) Simple, compound, maple, oak. Students will learn through games and projects the names of ten local trees as well as learn to use a simple dichotomous key. Cost: $5.00/student Recommended for fourth, fifth and sixth grades. Where Does the Rain Go? Students add "pollutants" and "rain" to a model city, then watch where it all goes, learning the implications of adding pollutants to water sheds. An outdoor excursion on the preserve compares reality to the model. Cost: $5.00/student Recommended for third, fourth and fifth grades. Teachers: A list of Illinois State Standards for each program is available upon request. Call 708-361-1873 and please specify which program's standards you would like. A suggested resource for field trip preparation is the internet website Schools Online, created by the University of Illinois Extension for elementary grade students: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/schools Teachers who have financial needs can apply online for grants to cover the cost of their field trip. Go to http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/education/classrm/grants.htm or call 217-524-4126 Photo courtesy of Paul Dacko |
